Controlling device for aeroplanes



C. R. FAIREY.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR AEROPLANES. APPLICATION FILED APR.23, 1919.

. 1,334,085, Patented Mar. 16,1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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.fttariz eys C. R. FAIREY, CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR AEROPLANES. APPLICATION F!LED APR. 23. 1919.

1,334,085. Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

CHARLES RICHARD FAIREY, OF HAYES, ENGLAND.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR AEROPLANES.

Specification of Letters Patent. 2 Patented Mar. 16, 1920.

Application filed April 23, 1919. Serial No. 292,167.

T all tvhomtt may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES RICHARD FAIREY, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and formerly resident of Clayton Road, Hayes, in the county of Middlesex,

'-Englancl, but now of Cranford Lane, Hayes,

in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin or Relating to Controlling Devices for Aeroplanes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvedmeans for varying the camber of the planes of an aeroplane, the object of the invention being to enable the flight of the machine to be more readily and effectually controlled.

According to this invention the trailing marginal portion, extending throughout the whole length of each wing, is adapted to be depressed to vary the camber (or section) of the wing, said trailing marginal portion being divided into two parts and so connected with control mechanism that the flight of the machine may be controlled by varying the camber of the whole length of both wings simultaneously in the same direction, or by varying the camber of only a portion of the length of each of the respective wings simultaneously in reverse directions at will.

Each of such trailing marginal portions forms preferably about one-fourth to onethird of the total chord of the plane, so that any change in the inclination (relatively to the rest of the wing) of such marginal portions or parts thereof will produce an effect equivalent to an alteration in both the camber and the angle of incidence either of the plane as a whole, or of the respective wings. For this purpose the two parts of each trailing marginal portion are preferably actuated by separate control cables, those cables appertaining to the outer parts (i. e. those adjacent to the tips of the wings) of each marginal portion being connected with control mechanism whereby the inclinations of said parts of both wings may be varied simultaneously a in the same direction 2 or 2 whereby the inclinations of said parts of the respective wings may be varied simultaneously in reverse directions, at will, while those cablesappertaining to the inner parts (i. e. those remote from the tips of the wings) are connected with control mechanism whereby the inclinations of said parts of both wings may be varied simultaneously in the same direction and concurrently with.

the similar variation of the inclinations of the outer parts.

The control mechanism just referred to is preferably such as described in the specifications accompanying my applications for U. S. Letters Patent Serial Nos. 292,164, a

' 292,166 and 292,165 all filed April 23, 1912,

the cables appertaining to the outer parts of each marginal portion being controlled, in the two former cases not only by the rotation of the drum around which they are wound from opposite directions, but also by variation in the effective length of the control pillar whereon said drum is mounted, while the cables appertaining to the inner parts of each marginal portion are secured to the movable portion of said control pillar so that they are controlled only by variation in the eflective length of said pillar and not by rotation of said drum.

When control mechanism as described in the specification accompanying my U. S. application Serial No. 292,165 is employed,the cables appertaining to the outer parts of each marginal portion are controlled not only by the rotation of the drum around which they are wound from opposite directions, but also by variationof the distance between the centers of the movable guide pulleys around which they pass, while the cables appertaining to the inner parts of each marginal portion are secured to the brackets carrying said movable guide pulleys, so that they are controlled only by variation of the distance between the centers of said pulleys and not by rotation of said drum.

From the foregoing it will be understood that the inclinations of the whole of the ence to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate it diagrammatically as applied to a sea-biplane wherein the wings of the upper plane are extended laterally beyond those of the lower plane, and wherein the trailing marginal portion of each wing of the u per plane is divided into two parts; the inc inations-of those parts which are adjacent to the tips of the respective wings of said plane being variable simultaneously either in the same direction or in reversev direct-ions, at will, and the inclinations of those parts which are remote from the tips being variable simultaneously in the same direction and concurrently with the similar variation in the inclinations of those parts which are adjacent to the. tips; while the trailing marginal portion of each wing of the lower plane is undivided and the inclinations of said portion of both wings are variable simultaneously in the same direction only, and concurrently with the similar variation in the inclinations of the trailing inarginal portions of the upper plane. The control mechanism illustrated is substantially as de scribed in the specification accompanying my U. S. application Serial No." 292,166 above referred to.

In the drawings,

. Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a telescopic control pillar embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is. an elementary diagrammatic view showing the cables controlling the inner parts of the flexible marginal portions in full lines and the cables for controlling the outer parts of the same in dotted lines;

.Fig. 4 is a vertical fore and aft section through both planes of one wing of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a similar section through one of the wing extensions of the upper plane and its aileron; i

Fig. 6 is an elementary plan view showing the upper plane of the machine with the flaps and ailerons; and

Fig. 7 is a similar plan view showing the lower plane of the machine.

In the example illustrated, each'wing A and A of the upper plane A of the machine I has the entire length of its trailing marginal portion hinged at a to the rigid main portion of the wing, and each such hinged portion is divided, at] a point 7) near the' center of its length, into two parts whereof that part B or B which is toward the outer endof the wing constitutes an aileron (properly so called) for use in controlling the lateral stability of the machine as well as in varying the camber of the wing as a 1 whole, whereas that part C or C which is toward the center of the machine constitutes what will, for the sake of distinction, be hereinafter termed a flap, employed solely (in conjunction with the corresponding aileron) in varying the camber of the wing as a whole. The. lower plane D of the machine has no ailerons properly so called;

that is to say each wing D and D of this lower plane extends, transversely of the machine, only a short distance beyond the outer extremity of the flap C or C 'of the upperv plane, and has practically the entire length of its trailing marginal portion'll or E hinged at (Z to the rigid main portion of the wing, each such flap being employed solely (in conjunction with the flap and aileron of the corresponding upper wing) in varying the camber of the wing as a whole.

Tn the exampleillustrated, atelescopic control pillar substantially as described in the specification accompanying my United States application, Serial No. 292,166 above referred to, is employed, but modified slightly in order to carry out the variation of the camber of the planes of an aeroplane in accordance with the present invention.

'As shown, the control pillar whereon the drum L with its controlling hand wheel N is supported, is constituted by two pairs of telescopic tubes 23, 23, and 24, 24, arranged side by side and provided with suitable crossheads, the drum L being mounted on a spindle 25 mounted in bearings in a crosshead 26 at the tops of the upper or slidable portions, 23, 23, of thetubes so as to be rotatable in a substantially vertical plane transversely of the machine. A lower cross head 27 on the portions 23, 23, of the tubes carries mid-way between the tubes a fixed nut 28 adapted to c'o-act with a screw 29 rotatable about a substantially vertical axis as one with a worm wheel 30 mounted to rotate in a bearing 31 in a crosshead 32 at the tops of the lower or fixed portions 24,

24, of the tubes, the worm wheel 30 being The respective cables or portions of cable Z Z which are wound around the drum L from opposite directions, extend thence downwardly. and are led under a pair of gulde pulleys k k rotatably mounted in a frame'36, constituting a crosshead at the bottoms of the portions-24, 24, of the tubes, beyond which the cables Z Z, are divided at points 19 and 19* into two branches which are respectively led around stationary guide ulleys 20, 20*, (see Fig. 3) to each one 0 pairs of levers b b fixed to the respective ailerons B B as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

The respective cables 11," 11*, which are connected with each one of pairs of levers e e fixed to the lower flaps E E, said flaps E E being in turn connected by pairs of cables or struts 0e, 0e, and 0 00*, to the fia ps C and C respectively, are attached to the crosshead 27 or an arm 37 projecting forwardly therefrom and extend thence downwardly and are led under a pair of guide pulleys 38, 38*, (behind the pulleys k and 76 respectively, in Fig. 1), rotatably mounted in the frame 36, and thence/ around stationary guide pulleys 13, 13*, beyond By revolving the drum L, the cambers of the respective Wings are simultaneously varied in reverse directions to control lateral stabilization in the usual manner, the cables 11 and 11* remaining unaffected. hen however, the worm 33 is revolved, the portions 23, 23, of the tubes are caused to telescope relatively, to the portions 24, 24c, and the distance between the center of the drum L and the centers of the guide pulleys k I62, and 38, 38*, is increased or decreased, so that both cables (or portions of cable) Z Z and both cables 11, 11* will be equally drawn upon or equally relaxed, with the result that the cambers of the whole of both wings will be varied simultaneously in the same direction,-= and the desired wing section obtained.

The double reduction resulting from the transmission of motion through the worm 33 and the worm wheel 30 and through the screw 29 and the nut 28, enables a very fine adjustment of the cambers of the Wings to be obtained, and further, the necessity of providing extraneous means for locking the parts in position is obviated.

Lclaim:

An aeroplane each Wing of which has a trailing marginal portion divided into two parts, one part adjacent the tip of the wing and one part remote from the tip of the Wing, control mechanism comprising a control pillar having a telescopically-movable member to vary the efiective length of said pillar, and a manually -rotatable drum mounted upon said telescopically-movable member, and means connecting the trailing marginal portions ofthe wings with said control mechanism to vary the camber of ithe whole length of both wings simultaneously in the same direction andto vary the camber of a portion of the-length of each of the respective wings simultaneously in reverse directions, alternatively at will, said means comprising separate control cables connected with the two parts of the trailing marginal portion of each wing, those cables which appertain to the parts remote from the tips of the respective wings being connected with said telescopicallymovable member to vary the inclination of said parts of both wings simultaneously in the same direction, and those cables which appertain to the parts adjacent the tips of the respective wings being wound upon said manually rotatable drum from opposite sides thereof to vary, alternatively at will, the inclinations of said parts of both Wings simultaneously in reverse directions when said drum is rotated and simultaneously in the same direction concurrently with the similar variation of the inclinations of the parts remote from the tips of the wings whendthe effective length of the control is varie CHARLES RICHARD FAlREYi 

